Tag Archives: cruise ships

RoboScreens on Royal Caribbean cruise ships to add visual intrigue

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Robotics Online has a great piece about the new RoboScreens coming to Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class cruise ships.

Six 100” video screens attached to six industrial robots that were developed by ABB RoboScreens are a big reason Royal Caribbean will be taking on-board entertainment on its newest class of cruise ships to the next level.

Onboard it’s upcoming Quantum-class cruise ships, guests will find these amazing innovations in the Two70 signature venue.

A RoboScreen is a graphical screen mounted to the arm of an ABB articulated arm robot, which creates a unique viewer experience by bringing virtually unlimited, 6-axis movement to the video media. Available in various sizes, the Two70° RoboScreens feature six ABB IRB 6620 robots, each holding a 100” diagonal Daktronics LED screen.

On Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, the RoboScreens are stored in the ceiling when not in use but during shows in Two70, the RoboScreens extend down on the gantry to a position above the stage, displaying unique video and imagery while performing choreographed movements, all custom produced for the specific performance.

The RoboScreens were developed by Andy Flessas and were first introduced in 2010 as part of the Bon Jovi Circle Tour. They have also been a part of concerts and shows for Kis-My-Ft2, a Japanese Pop band; the Las Vegas house show for deadmau5, world famous music producer and performer; and the Ultra-Music Festival in Miami.

On the Quantum-class, the RoboScreens will periodically assemble in various formations, such as six screens in a row to form one continuous, long screen; a three by two stack to form one big square screen; or a serpentine row, much like a ‘W’ and a ‘V’ strung together.

The project involves the close collaboration of a number or parties, both within ABB and externally. Being the first installation of an ABB robot on any ship, the ABB Marine Power Group in Helsinki, Finland and the ABB Robotics North American team in Auburn Hills, Michigan worked together for the first time. The ABB PC software team in Gothenburg, Sweden is also involved, working on the programming software and addressing the unique challenges of operating robots at sea.

The external partners include Royal Caribbean, andyRobot, Daktronics, Waagner Biro, the gantry provider, Coolux, the video server manufacturer, and Meyer Werft, the shipbuilder based in Papenburg, Germany.

5 Great Spaces to Lounge at Sea

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Life is sweet in these special areas on cruise ships that invite guests to de-stressBy: Marilyn Green

The Library on Oceania Marina is home to comfy leather armchairs and around 2,000 books and periodicals. // © 2014 Oceania

The Library on Oceania Marina is home to comfy leather armchairs and around 2,000 books and periodicals. // © 2014 Oceania

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, but by the time our overworked brains get the message the vacation is often nearly over. Understanding this dilemma, cruise lines have devised some outstanding spaces that entice guests to slow down, relax and enjoy. These are the ones I love best.

Library, Oceania Marina 
I immediately fell in love with Oceania Marina’s library, and I had plenty of company. It looks like a P.G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie setting with guests who are reading, sipping and dozing while sprawled out on huge leather chairs.

Be sure to explore the nooks created by the shelves holding 2,000 books and periodicals to find your perfect place. You have to get up very early on sea days to stake out a chair and a favorite nook. On my cruise, some people come to the library at 4 a.m. to grab a chair near the fireplace. The library’s English country house atmosphere is beyond soothing. With the availability of coffees and snacks at the adjoining Baristas Coffee Bar, and computers for Internet access, some passengers make a day of it.

 

Spa Recovery Room, Costa Luminosa
Most ships’ spa recovery rooms have elegant, minimalistic loungers with a view of the sea, but not onboard Costa Luminosa. Here, guests who have had a massage or other spa treatment can chill out on canopied beds with filmy curtains in a shady, quiet room that seems to inhabit another world altogether. And if you prefer a sunnier spot to let the pampering soak in, you can push open the picket gate to the outside garden from your treatment room, step out and relax in a chair.

 

Explorations Cafe, Nieuw Amsterdam
Explorations Cafe, powered by the New York Times, is my fantasy of what a retreat should be, and guests are constantly saying they need one at home. The ingredients speak for themselves: blissful, squashy leather chairs and couches, Internet stations, pastries, brownies, cupcakes, specialty coffees and thousands of books, magazines, DVDs, newspapers and table games — not to mention vast views of the sea. It’s full of guests from morning to night, sending emails, reading, chatting and playing games.

 

The Hideaway, Celebrity Silhouette
Many ships have comfortable chairs, but Silhouette has nests that for me brought back memories of childhood retreats. Tucked away near an impressive 20-foot live tree that stands over the atrium, the intimate The Hideaway is an irresistible stylized tree house, with comfortable seating and suspended nests where guests can enjoy the peace, read or play with the Apple products from the Celebrity iLounge.

 

Seabourn Square, Seabourn Sojourn
I never thought I’d choose a purser’s desk for relaxation, but Seabourn Sojourn’s Seabourn Square makes dealing with questions both serene and pleasurable. The core of the ship and its collective living room, Seabourn Square includes purser and concierge functions but guests sit across from staff — there is no standing and waiting. And the atmosphere is eons away from a typical front desk. This open space at the heart of the ship is gently divided into areas for Internet access, a very fine library of books and magazines and plenty of seating options, from easy chairs and couches to tables and chairs perfect for enjoying the specialty coffees, teas and pastries that are always readily available.

Only 1% of norovirus outbreaks are on cruise ships, says CDC

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By Jerry Limone
Norovirus outbreaks most often makes headlines when they happen on cruise ships, but these only account for about 1% of all reported outbreaks, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About 20 million people get sick from norovirus each year, according to the CDC Vital Signs report “Preventing Norovirus Outbreaks.”

In norovirus outbreaks for which investigators reported the source was food contamination, 70% are caused by infected food workers, CDC reported.

Of outbreaks caused by food workers, 54% involve touching ready-to-eat foods (i.e., food that is ready to be served without additional preparation, such as washed raw fruits and vegetables, baked goods or items that have already been cooked) with bare hands.

According to the CDC, observations of food service workers have shown that they practice proper hand washing only one out of four times. The CDC recommends that workers “wash hands carefully and often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the restroom.”

“Norovirus often gets attention for outbreaks on cruise ships, but those account for only about 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks,” the report said.

“Norovirus is very contagious, and outbreaks can occur anywhere people gather or food is served.”